BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- Multilateral talks with North Korea faced a crisis Thursday after the communist country failed to respond to a Chinese-drafted proposal to make the Korean Peninsula nuclear-free.

Host China has come up with four draft statements of "principles" since Saturday to be used as the basis of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.

China presented its latest and fourth statement on Tuesday, asking the other concerned parties -- the two Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia -- to make their "final" comments by Wednesday afternoon.

All but North Korea responded in time to the Chinese request and their responses were affirmative, according to the chief U.S. negotiator, Christopher Hill.

After a day of frustration, Hill told reporters late Tuesday night that high-level Chinese leaders were trying to persuade North Korea to trade off their worrisome nuclear program for a better future.

"We're confident the Chinese will work very hard to get the DPRK to sign onto the draft agreement," Hill said, referring to the North's name by its initial.

Hill said he did not know how long this round of six-nation talks, which began 10 days ago, would last. He said all sides should show "a little bit of patience."

Stressing that the United States did all it can, Hill said it's time for North Korea to "look very hard and figure out what they need to do."

"It's for them to come to the understanding. Their country's future very much depends on choosing the route that will open them up to the world and allow DPRK to get to enjoy some success," he said.

"Clearly, this is a country suffering from a profound number of problems. None of these problems can be solved with nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are not going to pave roads, are not going to build healthcare, not going to build schools."

Earlier, Hill said the Chinese text, if adopted, would move forward the six-nation talks which were revived after a 13-month hiatus caused by a North Korean boycott. He said the ultimate decision lies in the hands of Pyongyang.

"In a very real sense, the DPRK does indeed stand at a crossroads and they can look forward to a brighter future, a more secure future, a more prosperous future but they can't do it with nuclear weapons," Hill said. "It's a very important moment for them. I hope they are in the right direction."

On late Tuesday, the North's chief envoy, Kim Kye-gwan, said that there still remained disagreements with the United States on key issues but would try to produce an "outcome" in Beijing. He did not elaborate.

Details of the Chinese text were not made public but the chief South Korean negotiator, Song Min-soon, said it reflects "a balanced view of all parties concerned."

"All the parties can become the winner as the draft reflects what each country wants in a balanced manner. There will be no loser in these negotiations," he said.

According to South Korean officials, the six-point Chinese text boils down to what North Korea can expect to get in exchange for giving up its nuclear program.

The text, among other things, calls for North Korea to verifiably dismantle its nuclear program in return for corresponding measures by the five other partners.

The corresponding measures include the provision of a security guarantee and electricity and fuel oil aid to the impoverished North simultaneously or in parallel with the North's compliance with its agreement to scrap its nuclear program, they said.

No end date has been set for this round of talks, the fourth in its series since 2003. Past talks each lasted three to four days. Unlike past talks, this round was marked by numerous one-on-one meetings. The two main adversaries, the United States and North Korea, have so far met eight times.

The North's nuclear capability has not been officially verified but the communist country said in February that it had nuclear weapons and has since taken steps to harvest more plutonium, the key material for nuclear bombs.

The current nuclear row erupted in 2002 after U.S. officials claimed that North Korea had admitted to having a secret HEU-based arms program, in addition to its known plutonium-based one, a claim denied by the North.
 
 

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